Mission for Advanced Geophysics and Polar Ice Exploration

MAGPIE is the European Space Agency funded lunar polar-ice exploration rover mission for the Moon’s south polar region. The mid-sized rover is being developed by ispace-EUROPE as mission prime under a Phase 2 contract awarded in July 2026, leading mission design, rover and payload development, integration, surface operations, and delivery of science data to ESA. Its Lunar Volatile Scout instrumented drill, HardPix neutron spectrometer, Lunar RIMFAX ground-penetrating radar, and data-processing unit will investigate volatile deposits, water-ice stability, and regolith properties. MAGPIE is scheduled to fly on ispace Mission 4 in 2029 through ESA-JAXA cooperation.